You’re Cordially Invited review: A heartfelt, funny wedding comedy
Review Overview
Cast
8Convention
4David Farnor | On 02, Feb 2025
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner
Certificate: 15
The words “wedding comedy” likely bring to mind films like Bride Wars, but the romcom subgenre has had a quiet revival in recent years, thanks to underrated gems such as Destination Wedding and Ticket to Paradise. You’re Cordially Invited may not be an event on the same level, but it’s still worth an RSVP.
The film follows a clash of two weddings: that of Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Neve (Meredith Hagner), who each have a personal reason to hold their respective nuptials on an island estate. But when they’re double-booked for the same weekend by mistake, Jenni’s dad, Jim (Will Ferrell), and Neve’s sister, Margot (Reese Witherspoon), go to war to get their loved ones the special day they deserve.
What ensues is relatively predictable chaos, as Nicholas Stoller goes into Forgetting Sarah Marshall mode to craft a steadily escalating farce of revenge. Reese Witherspoon is amusingly fierce and self-centred as the overprotective, withdrawn older sibling, while Will Ferrell dials up the overprotectiveness as a lonely widower. The film, naturally, pitches their rivalry as the key selling point, and they clearly enjoy sparring verbally and physically through a string of set pieces.
However, the film’s secret weapon is an entirely different relationship: the bond between Jim and his daughter. It’s a pleasant surprise to see Ferrell in an age-appropriate role that allows him to lean into his greying years while still unleashing his usual childlike energy. The show is stolen, though, by Geraldine Viswanathan, who – after the worryingly funny Blockers – is hilarious as the deceptively forthright Jenni, who at once cares deeply for her grieving dad and is desperate to define her own happiness on her own terms. The duo are a delight together, sincere and silly in equal measure, and that unexpectedly warm connection gives the whole affair a disarmingly heartfelt charm. That can’t quite sustain a third act that loses focus from its sharp, single-location concept, but it’s enough to make this conventional comedy one to attend.